The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-15
Judge COOiey's Views.

DETROIT, May ll.-Judge Cooley,
President of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, is spending short time at
his home i'm Ann Arbor, and has given
to a reporter some Impressions with refer
ence to the business and railroad situa-
tion that are Of interest
"liow did you find the South duriug
your recent visit there y lac was asked.
Different. Things were getting ON
differently. Atlanta is very prosper
Gus place. Mobile is not going ahead.
The people of Mobile believe that the
railroad determinations have checked
the growth of their city, and doubtless
the transportation rates have had much
to do all over the South. But l doubt IL
that could be helped. During the past
few years "A great change has come over
thS method of doing business. Margins
of profit have become 80 small that time
has become the most important element
i'm shipments. For this reason water
competition with railroads has con
stantly been growing less and less. This
change IN severely felt in the South,
where the cities have been built on navi-
gable streams. Water freight still regu-
late the railroad charges at competing
points; but, as ] said, influence Of water
communication IL constantly decreas-
ing"
els this true ON the great lakesg'
'The influence of lake competition is
still great, but IL is not 40 great as il
once was. There is Detroit sugar
merchant (and ther. are others like him)
who complains that the Interstate Com
merce law has ruined his business. New
York merchants now sell To interior
points in the State and ship direct leav-
ing Detroit out in the cold"
lis that result due to the law, or To
the general conditions of business
AS To that, ! can only say that
changes in business are constantly go-
ing on. There was "A time when every
town in Michigan had its tannery. Now
there are few tanneries in the State.
These changes are constantly going ON,
without any reference to the Interstate
law or any other law"
Has the question Of what constitutes
line of railroad come before the COM
mission
This much has been decided. The
rate from Chicago To Liverpool IN the
same, whether the freight goes by the
way of Boston or New York, yet the rate
from Chicago to Boston Is and must be
greater than from Chicago to New
York
Then the steamer part Of the way
counts as part of the liner
YES: for In no other way is exporta-
ton possible at Boston. She has not the
facilities that New York has"
"Can you say whether, ON the whole,
the workings Of the law have begun 10
remedy the evils complained Off
That would he "a matter of opinion.
One man would think one way and an
other would have different view. My
opinion would be only that Of one person,
and | must decline To 1--WE IL.
when will the Commission meet
again.
I'VE shall be in Washington on Mon
day at the latest
Whatever may be Judge Cooley's per-
sonal opinion of the new law, It's advan-
tages and its defects, he IN evidently de-
termined that 80 far as lies in his power
il shall he enforced according To both its
letters and its spirit. No man realizes
more fully than he the magnitude Of the
railroad problem which IL now pressing
for solution, and il Il evident from his
talk that he is determined TO give all his
abilities and energy 10 obtain some rea-
sonabe and just mode Of living between
the people on the one hand and the rail
roads on the other. No man recognizes
more clearly than he that the interests of
the two are at bottom identical. IL he
sees defects in the present law he proba-
bly, thinks with Grant the1 the quickest
and surest remedy for thSevils OF "A law
is TO be secured by forcing the law as II
stands. At the same time he realizes the
importance. as in the case Of Boston, OF
using the discretion embodied In the law
itself 10 prevent cities from suffering
needlessly.